Shannon Quesnel

Premier Christy Clark was grilled about Penticton Regional Hospital's long-awaited expansion on Wednesday during a tour of a modular home plant in Penticton. Before she addressed reporters the Liberal premier said it's her party British Columbians want for a strong economy. She and Penticton Liberal candidate Dan Ashton toured Britco Structures and spoke with staff...

A young woman testified Tuesday she was sexually assaulted from ages 13 to 21 by a man she considered her uncle. The woman, who cannot be identified because of a publication ban, told the court she knew the accused, Kenneth Johnson of Osoyoos, since she was 10 years old. Johnson pleaded not guilty to charges of...

Cops for Kids riders will be rolling into the Parkway Elementary School parking lot to raise money with a yard sale for children this Saturday. They have already helped Joshua Castle of Penticton. Colleen Castle asked for a grant to help 12-year-old Joshua. He was born in Liberia and adopted and brought to Canada. Joshua...

The cause of the fire at the Greenwood Forest Products mill on Green Mountain Road might have come from mechanical failure. The mill is on Penticton Indian Band land but the band has an emergency-response agreement with the Penticton fire department. Any investigation into the fire, however, will be conducted by another entity. Deputy fire...

A call for action was heard at the Downtown Revitalization Committee meeting this week. City staff recommend moving on plans as fast as possible. The committee is in charge of finding improvements for Main Street, Martin Street and other avenues. Everything from providing grants to improving store facades to street construction is being covered. Development...

Accused killer Jamie Paul Wolanski will have a bail dispute argued in Kelowna. Wolanski has been in custody for breaching bail conditions set after he was arrested for allegedly killing Penticton teen Andrew McAdam on June 11, 2011. A new date will be set on May 2 for Crown and defence to debate the bail...

David Bobbitt pled guilty to seven charges related to a July 31, 2011 attack on a Penticton woman. Bobbitt appeared via video at Penticton Supreme Court on Monday before Justice Geoff Barrow, Crown lawyer Deb Drissell, defence lawyer James Pennington and several family members of the victim. The family members said they were relieved Bobbitt...

David Bobbitt will appear in Penticton Provincial Court today and is expected to make pleas on assault and sexual assault charges. Bobbitt has been accused of attacking a 22-year-old Penticton woman and her toddler son on July 30, 2011 at his store on Ellis Street. The two victims were allegedly confined for nearly a dozen...

A convicted sex offender is back in Penticton Provincial Court today to set a date for sentencing. Rene Mark Burke was convicted of a charge of fear of sexual offence against a person under 14, touching a young person and two breaches of recognizance and may also be wanted on outstanding charges in Ontario. Burke's...

After electrician Brian Woodman of Penticton was killed at a Kelowna auto repair shop steps were taken to prevent others from sharing his fate. Brian's family attended a Day of Mourning event on Friday at Penticton's McLaren Arena. With them were several other families, Penticton firefighters, city staff members and elected officials. Everyone stood near...

A now-convicted child sex offender fooled school board officials into approving the transfer of one of his victims from one school to another so the boy could live with him. According to the boy's father, Rene Mark Burke walked into the Okanagan-Skaha School District office in Penticton in August 2011 to seek permission to transfer...

Silence is the response from the Okanagan-Skaha School District regarding a now-convicted child predator, Rene Mark Burke, getting approval to transfer a student from one school to another. Emails and phone calls requesting comment, were made out to school staff, school trustees as well as the lawyer representing the school board. School district superintendent Wendy...

A collision in Penticton earlier today resulted in a white pickup truck being spun and a larger moving truck losing its coolant. The two trucks collided at or near the McDougall Avenue and Main Street intersection around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. It appeared no one was injured. Firetrucks blocked off access and firefighters were cleaning up...

A man accused of murdering two people and wounding a third appeared for the first time in Penticton Provincial Court on Wednesday via video. John Ike Koopmans, 49, is charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in connection to the deaths of two Princeton residents. Robert Wharton, 44, and Rose...

A now-convicted child sex offender fooled school board officials into approving the transfer of one of his victims from one school to another so the boy could live with him. According to the boy's father, Rene Mark Burke walked into the Okanagan-Skaha School District office in Penticton in August 2011 to seek permission to transfer...

Penticton's famous Okanagan Lake waterfront gets caged and made over this month. Walkers, joggers and random visitors have had to go around or find new places to park their cars and their tired bodies. Further down the road many old trees were removed due to fears of root damage and windfall. There is also work...

Patients with chronic Lyme disease are being caught in the middle of a fight between doctors arguing over treatment while suffering with the condition itself. On one side are physicians like retired doctor Ernie Murakami who believe Lyme disease can be a chronic condition. On the other, is a majority of the medical community who...

Thirty thousand books need to be recycled into money for some needed hospital equipment. The Rotary Club of Penticton is holding its annual used book sale Tuesday with 30,000 tomes up for grabs. The Penticton Curling Club at 505 Railway St. is packed with everything from modern spy thrillers to knitting textbooks. Funds raised will...

Getting rid of large and unwanted objects will get a little easier from May 6 to 10. The City of Penticton will hold its annual spring cleaning week for large and bulky items. Residents can place out by 7 a.m. a maximum of two items on their regular garbage day. Furniture, large appliances and mattresses...

Pestoe, a black labrador-great dane mix, runs for the ball Monday at Skaha Lake. His owner, seen in the distance, was in town from Calgary for some rock climbing. Nearby was a sign detailing the layout of a new park plan. The goal of the proposed Discovery Park is to provide a fun way to...

A new $110,000 park at Skaha Lake will show children how fragile the ecosystem is. Discovery Park at Skaha Lake is billed as a natural playground with boulders from area quarries, climbing ropes, balancing logs made from beetle-infested trees, earth berm slides and a water feature to remind children how valuable water is. This park...

Penticton's old bus barn on Ellis Street is still on the table to become the city's newest farmer's market attraction. The Downtown Penticton Association wants to turn the city-owned building into a year-round indoor market. It would not be a replacement for the regular Saturday markets on Main Street. It's been reported the bus barn...

Area leadership wants another opinion before considering a $1.5 million loan to upgrade its 911 service. For some on the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen board, it is a case of not fixing what's not broken. For other board directors it is imperative to find a way to modernize the area's 911 radio services. Most of the...

Rural community post offices might become a thing of the past thanks to possible Canada Post cuts. Area D director Tom Siddon told Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen board members his community almost lost a small post office 20 years ago. He said residents do not want to travel to Penticton to buy stamps. "They are going...